Democrat candidate for U.S. Senate in Pennsylvania and recent stroke victim, John Fetterman, will be getting quite the advantage in the televised debate against Republican Dr. Mehmet Oz Tuesday. He will be allowed to use a computer during the debate, claiming Oz has a “huge built-in advantage.” Fetterman has been making news recently for his slow reactions to questions and gaffe-ridden press conferences. It has ignited, even among left-wing outlets such as MSNBC, talk of Fetterman’s fitness for the office. The debate will be much anticipated since he previously was not expected to debate Oz.
The Post Millennial reports:
This is due to the lingering effects of a stroke that Fetterman suffered in the spring. His wife, Gisele, has claimed that criticizing Fetterman for that use of closed captioning is essentially discriminatory.
She called the comments “ableist” and said that the NBC reporter who interviewed Fetterman, making note of his unique use of closed captioning and inability to listen and responde, should be held accountable for the “disservice that she did to not only my husband, but anyone facing a disability.”
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The statement, written by advisors Rebecca Katz and Brendan McPhillips, makes clear that Oz is a “TV personality,” and admits that even prior to Fetterman’s stroke that he “wasn’t great at debates.”
“We’ll admit – this isn’t John’s format. Look no further than the debates from the primary earlier this year. On the other hand, ‘Oz is a polished daytime TV host who knows his camera angles and how to craft TV moments,'” the memo says, quoting the Philadelphia Inquirer.
In a memo sent to reporters, the Fetterman campaign seeks to lower expectations for tomorrow’s debate with Oz: “We’ll admit — this isn’t John’s format … if we’re all being honest, Oz clearly comes into Tuesday night with a huge built-in advantage.” pic.twitter.com/21CCMGGvbI
— Holly Otterbein (@hollyotterbein) October 24, 2022
The memo from the Fetterman campaign claims, “John is ready to share his vision for Pennsylvania, defend his record, and make the case against Oz. He’s going to be talking about his real ideas to help real people. But if we’re all being honest, Oz clearly comes into Tuesday night with a huge built-in advantage.”
The debate is expected to make headlines as rumors continue to swirl about Fetterman being up to the task of U.S. senator while Oz continues to close the polling gap between the two men in the hotly contested race that could determine control of the U.S. Senate.
